2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Oregon RB Jordan James

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Oregon RB Jordan James

NO. 20 JORDAN JAMES RB/OREGON – 5100, 210 POUNDS (JUNIOR)

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

-Shifty and elusive in the open field, can make you miss in a phone booth
-Some versatility in alignment, used occasionally as wideout by Oregon when in spread formation
-Quick and has good instincts in the open field
-Consistently hits hole full speed with no hesitation
-Small stature allows him to squeeze through small holes bigger running backs wouldn’t be able to
-Welcomes contact despite small stature
-Has great vision at line of scrimmage, uses instincts to set up blocks in the second level
-Able to catch the ball out of the backfield and pick up yards as a checkdown option
-Runs with low pad level, which allows him to pick up yards after contact
-Has a good habit of falling forward when tackled to pick up extra yard
-Protects ball well
-Speed and agility make him constant home-run threat
-Had career high 1,267 rushing yards and 1,476 scrimmage yards in 2024 against top competition in Big Ten conference
-Only 20 years old

THE BAD

-Small size hinders him in pass protection, which could limit his third-down usage in NFL
-Limited route tree, only produced as pass catcher in check-down role
-Could be smarter in pass protection, doesn’t seem to know when to release as check-down option
-Tendency to run incomplete routes when ball isn’t coming his way
-Small frame leads to concerns about his durability in NFL
-Lacks experience in lead-back role
-Could be more creative when line doesn’t open up a hole
-Contact balance can be improved

BIO

-20-years old
-Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.
-Attended Oakland High School
-Rated four-star recruit out of high school by 247, ESPN and Rivals
-Ranked 13th RB coming out of high school by 247, and 17th by both ESPN and Rivals
-Played in 10 of 13 games during freshman year in 2022 with 46 attempts for 189 yards with five touchdowns in predominantly short-yardage role
-Saw the field in all 14 games in 2023, and made massive improvement with 11 rushing touchdowns, 759 rushing yards and a Pac-12-leading 7.1 yards per attempt
-Reached new level in 2024 with 1,267 rushing yards on 5.4 yards per attempt and 15 rushing touchdowns
-Spent three years in college before declaring for draft; played in 38 total games
-Enjoys watching other running backs and tries to incorporate things he sees from them into his game, most notably Ashton Jeanty

TAPE BREAKDOWN

There are a lot of aspects to James’ game worth talking about. The first one, and likely the most enjoyable to watch, is his elusiveness in the open field. James is a quick, extremely shifty player, and once he hits the second level it’s hard for defenders to bring him down.

Starting with this clip, which shows a move James likes to use often. Here, the run is designed to go to the left, but that side of the line gets completely blown up. James cuts back across the field, where he’s met by the safety who came all the way up to the line of scrimmage.

Jordan James makes a quick cut with his right foot and leaves the defender on the turf. He doesn’t have all the juke moves in the world, but James is able to consistently make sharp cuts like this in the open field. It will be harder to throw off NFL defenders with such a simple move, but it shows that James does have that elusiveness.

Once James gets into the open field, he is quick and decisive. James is fast, but he’s not a track runner. However, there is absolutely no hesitation in anything he does with the football in his hands. Take a look at this clip. Once James gets a glimpse of daylight, he shoots up the field like a rocket.

This is another designed run to the left. The offensive line does a good job, and James is able to break a tackle, allowing him to get to the sideline. It’s a good run, but once he reaches the 20-yard line, there are four defenders around him. Most backs aren’t able to pick up an extra 15 yards in that scenario, but because James is as fast and decisive as he is once he gets to the second level, he’s able to get all the way down near the goal line. The way he runs in the open field is impressive, and it makes James a constant home-run threat.

Part of the reason James is able to get to the second level as often as he does is because of how fast he attacks the line of scrimmage. He’s still a patient runner and will wait for a hole to open before doing so. Once he decides to go, though, he takes off, and rarely does the hole close before James can get through it.

This is a zone run to the left and the offensive line does a great job opening a hole. Once James sees it, he flashes through the line of scrimmage. His quickness consistently got him extra yards at Oregon, because he’s able to get to the second level before those defenders can come meet him, like in the play above.

Part of the reason he can get through holes before they close is because of his smaller stature. At 5-10 he’s a smaller back, but this allows him to squeak through any crevice his offensive line gives him.

In the play above, Jones is able to just barely squeeze through the hole his line gives him. A lot of backs aren’t able to get through this, especially not ones as fast as James is. Instead of being stuck at the line of scrimmage, James is able to get through, picking up nine yards and nearly a first down. The speed with which he attacks the line of scrimmage, as well as his size, makes him an efficient runner.

Don’t let his size fool you, though. James runs with a lot of heart and is actually good in short-yardage scenarios. James has a lot of strength for his size and runs with a low pad level. That makes it hard for defenders to stop him in short-down situations. James also has a nice habit of falling forward when tackled.

The play above is a great example of this. James breaks a couple tackles at the line of scrimmage, then bounces off a few defenders before lunging into the end zone. Admittedly, his contact balance is something that could be improved. However, this play shows that he is capable of breaking tackles, and he’s only 20 years old, so there are promising signs in that regard.

There are also some things Jordan James can do as a pass catcher. A significant majority of the work James does as a receiver comes as a check-down option, and Oregon regularly used him on swing and arrow routes. However, he did line up out wide as a receiver at times when Oregon went to a spread formation with five receivers.

Here, James is at the bottom of the screen, and he just runs a simple curl route, where he’s able to catch the ball and pick up several yards. This is about as extensive as his route tree gets. However, it does show another role James could have in the NFL, aside from just being a runner.

Some teams may be fine with only using James as a check-down option. Other teams will look down on his lack of a route tree. He did catch passes like in the clip above, but those came rarely, and he was almost exclusively used as a check-down option.

The clip above is an example of why Jordan James is only used in that role. James is aligned at the bottom of the screen. You just can’t run routes like this, especially at the NFL level. James could have been confused about the play, or already knew the ball isn’t coming his way. Still, he doesn’t really even try to run a route here.

Because of his size, James struggles in the passing game as a blocker. It’s not for a lack of effort, and to his credit he does try and put himself between defenders and his quarterback. However, he just doesn’t quite have the technique, especially against better pass rushers.

In the play above, James does show good instincts. He recognizes where the rush is coming from and puts himself in the right spot. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the strength or technique to make the block. He is thrust backward into his quarterback, nearly affecting the throw. However, the fact that James put himself in good position is a good sign. As he gets older and stronger, this is something that can be improved.

CONCLUSION

Jordan James has good vision and is elusive in the open field. He’s not a sprinter, but he does possess the long speed necessary to break off big runs. James understands zone-running schemes well, knows how to break them down, and hits the hole with tremendous speed. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield could give him value as a third-down back if teams simply need someone to check the ball down to.

Other franchises may not view him as favorably in passing downs due to his lack of a route tree and lack of polish in pass protection. These are things he’ll need to improve to be consistently used in that role. He played behind good offensive lines at Oregon, so some teams without that kind of fortitude up front may be cautious. James has only held a lead-back role for one season, and is a smaller back, so teams may also be worried about his durability.

That said, teams will be excited about James early on Day 3 of the draft. Teams that need to add depth to their backfield in a zone scheme will be in the market for James. His explosiveness, vision and elusiveness will give him a role in the NFL. James’ development will ultimately depend on his ability to improve his pass protection and route tree. If he can’t do that, he’ll be limited to running downs, ultimately capping his role in the league.

Jordan James reminds me of Jalen Richard, who used to play for the Las Vegas Raiders. Richard was the same size and had a lot of the same strengths. Both are best used in zone schemes, where they can take advantage of their vision, speed and elusiveness. Although Richard was only used as a check-down option, he carved out a nice role for himself with the Raiders, which is something James can do too.

Projection: Early to Mid-Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 Fourth Round (Rotational Player)
Games Watched: Ohio State (Regular Season) (2024), Oregon State (2024), UCLA (2024), Oregon State (2023), Washington State (2023)